Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II who died on Friday, September 8 played an instrumental role in the introduction of the Safari Rally to Kenya.
According to Safari Rally Kenya, the first maiden edition of the competition was staged to celebrate the coronation of the Queen as the supreme ruler of Northern Ireland and Great Britain in 1953.
“The first ever Safari Rally was held as a celebration of the coronation of Her Majesty #QueenElizabeth II.
Also Read: The Billions Naivasha Safari Rally Brought Into Our Economy - CS Amina
“Today we @wrcsafarirally are saddened by her death. May her soul rest in peace,” read a statement issued by the organizers.
The maiden event which was dubbed the East African Coronation Safari was held on May 27, 1953, in Kenya, Tanganyika (present-day Tanzania) and Uganda.
In 1960, the championship was renamed the East African Safari Rally. When the competition was elevated to become part of the World Rally Championship in 1973, the name was again changed to Safari Rally.
Competitors used to traverse the challenging East African terrain which was made up of fine sand (fesh fesh) and rough roads that existed in the Great Rift Valley.
The event would later be paused in 2002 before returning in 2021 after a nineteen years hiatus.
In the last two editions, Safari Rally was staged in Nakuru County, with thousands of fans flocking Naivasha town to witness the world’s greatest rally drivers square it out for the coveted trophy.
The newly sworn-in President of Kenya, William Ruto visited the United Kingdom High Commissioner’s residence on Wednesday evening to offer solace to the citizens of Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales and England as they continue to mourn the former head of the Commonwealth.
Queen Elizabeth II will be buried on Monday, September 19 in Westminster Abbey, London.